Inhaltsverzeichnis für June 2017 in Guitar Techniques

RICHARD BARRETT One of the best players around, Richard is adept at most styles but truly excels in the bluesier side of rock. He currently plays with Spandau’s Tony Hadley. SHAUN BAXTER One of the UK’s most respected music educators, Shaun has taught many who are now top tutors themselves. His Jazz Metal album is considered a milestone. JON BISHOP Jon is one of those great all-rounders who can turn his hand to almost any style. No ‘Jack of all trades and master of none’, he nails every one with ease! LES DAVIDSON Les has worked with Mick Taylor, Rumer, Jon Anderson, Pete Townshend, Tina Turner & more. He also runs a recording studio and teaches at BIMM London. CHARLIE GRIFFITHS Guitar Institute tutor Charlie first came to fame in…

JEAN LARRIVÉE MOVES AWAY FROM making classical guitars and builds his first small steel-string dreadnoughts from his new commercial premises. These early models feature X-bracing, distinctive shaping and maple leaf style inlays, but it was his resolve to use his knowledge on successful classical guitar bracing that was to become the major breakthrough for distinctive sounds. He declares it was “success through ignorance.” WELCOME TO THE WORLD TO Ricky Martin, Dido, Gary Barlow, Paul McGuigan (Oasis), Mary J. Blige, Alison Krauss, Richard Ashcroft, Lisa Lopes, Nathan Morris & Michael McCary (Boyz II Men), Missy Elliott, Kevin Scott Richardson (Backstreet Boys), Dolores O’Riordan, Kid Rock, Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters) and Jonathan Davis (Korn). Leaving the planet are Jim Morrison, Duane Allman, Louis Armstrong and Igor Stravinsky. THE OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST…

Steve Lukather Steve Lukather (b. 1957) is an A-list session guitarist in LA who has played on countless sessions. He is also a founding member of Toto, not to mention a busy solo artist. Highlights: Sessions with artists such as Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Paul McCartney, Earth Wind And Fire, Richard Marx, The Tubes, Olivia Newton John, Dolly Parton, Donna Summer, Quincy Jones. His most recent album is Transition.www.stevelukather.com Louie Shelton Louie Shelton (b.1941) is an A-list Los Angeles session guitarist, most prominent during 1960-1990. He was also a member of The Wrecking Crew. Highlights: Ella Fitzgerald, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, James Brown, Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson Five, Otis Spann, Solomon Burke, T-Bone Walker; Joe Cocker, Boz Skaggs, Kenny Rogers, Neil Diamond,…

 ONTHECD TRACKCD-ROM “I LISTEN TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT STYLES OF MUSIC AND A LOT OF THAT RUBS OFF ON ME IN THE WEIRDEST WAYS SOMETIMES” Nick Johnston ABILITY RATING Info Key: Am and DmTempo: 100 bpm CD: TRACK 36 (B/T) Will improve your Hybrid picking Rock to blues vocabulary Semiquaver triplet rhythms In the second part of this Nick Johnston video masterclass we are featuring another exciting rock track with plenty of modal vocabulary. As Nick explains in the video, he had a lot of fun performing over this backing track. On the first listen it sounds like an odd time groove; it’s also interesting that the track contains a modulation and the use of contrasting tonalities. The chorus uses the D Lydian mode and various chord fragments from…

ONTHECD TRACKS39-44 EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 1 NIRVANA CD TRACK 39 This exercise is an open string and fifth chord part often used as a low dynamic in Kurt Cobain’s repertoire of compositions. Use a chorus effect for the verse and distortion on the G#5 and F#5 to create a powerful high-energy part to complement it. EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 2 LIFE OF AGONY CD TRACK 40 Using downstrokes interspersed with fretting-hand muting and an aggressive picking-hand technique to make this punk metal riff sound authentic. INTERMEDIATE LICKS EXAMPLE 3 BB KING CD TRACK 41 This lightly swung F Major Pentatonic lick should have a short sharp staccato (dotted crotchet) feel to create typical BB groove in the lick. A light valve overdrive will help recreate an authentic tone. INTERMEDIATE LICKS EXAMPLE…

“WE WERE DEAD SET ON NOT COPYING OUR JAZZ HEROES, BECAUSE WE FELT THE BEST WAY TO HONOUR THEM WAS TO DEVELOP OUR OWN VOICES” Larry Coryell ON THE CD TRACKS52-67 ABILITY RATING Info Key: VariousTempo: VariousCD: TRACKS 52-67 Will improve your… Picking articulation and speed Ability to outline chord changes General jazz vocabulary We were saddened to hear of the recent passing of American jazz guitarist Larry Coryell. Larry had a glittering career throughout his 73 years, touring and recording with players as diverse as Stéphane Grappelli, Chet Baker, Charles Mingus, Gary Burton and many more. He featured in a selection of successful guitar duos and trios, recording straight-ahead jazz with Emily Remler, acoustic crossover with Paco Di Lucia and John McLaughlin and in a Latin inspired trio with…

“THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS USING YOUR EAR TO GET GOOD SLIDE INTONATION, SINCE THE FRETS ARE NO LONGER PART OF THE EQUATION” ONTHECD TRACKS72-79 ABILITY RATING Info Key: E Tempo: 120 bpm CD: TRACKS 72-79 Will improve your Intonation Blues phrasing Muting technique Slide guitar is an instantly recognisable and a very expressive way of playing and many of its heroes, such as Robert Johnson, Elmore James and Son House, come from traditional blues. Players such as Duane Allman, Ry Cooder and Derek Trucks have explored a wider mix of genres, although still with a strong blues base. While open tunings are synonymous with slide (Derek Trucks plays almost exclusively in open E), when starting out it can really help to use standard tuning, as it allows you to…

MAY GT269 BLUES TURNAROUNDS Learn how to make the end of each blues verse really count. We look at how 10 blues legends do it! From the vault: Electric Blues Fingerpicking. Play like the great ‘fingers only bluesmen! Plus: Albeniz Mallorca, Nick Johnston rock video masterclass & much more! SPRING GT268 3-STRING CHORDS Three-string chords and arpeggios are great to revitalise your rhythm and lead; check out the chords and soloing style of Steely Dan’s guitarists; play Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus; and cop the styles of SRV, Status, Quo, Toto, Tracy Chapman, Joe Diorio & more! APRIL GT267 BLUES CHORDS All the blues chords you need to know (yes, there’s more than three!), with cool ideas on how to use them. Fusion - crack the code with 10 cool jazz-rock…

AS WE BECOME more proficient on the guitar it’s tempting to think we could make ourselves a name as a studio ace like Larry Carlton or Steve Lukather. But when we ask, “How do I get into it?”, the sad fact is there’s no easy answer. Well, while GT can’t give you the keys to Larry or Luke’s old locker, we can ask a group of top sessioneers how their world works, what the playing requirements are, gear needed, and lots more. So that’s what we did. We asked each one the same set of questions and their responses reflect their different eras and styles, whether they sight-read their parts, work from chord charts or come up with the goods off the top of their heads. When you look at…

 GT: What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals to you? “WE CAN COMPARE VOCAL MUSIC AND INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC IN A SIMILAR WAY TO RADIO VERSUS TELEVISION” MT: I think of myself as a storyteller and have always been fascinated with communicating feelings and emotions through music. The first time I experienced that was as a kid hearing Django Reinhardt. His melodic improvisations made a very direct connection to me; it sounded to my young ears as if he was telling a story through the guitar, and that was what got me into wanting to play the guitar and instrumental music. GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal can’t? MT: I think we can compare vocal music and instrumental music in a similar way to radio…

ABILITY RATING Info Key Various Tempo Various CD TRACKS 4-14 Will improve your… Stylistically credible parts Playing ‘for the song’ Interpretation and creativity Welcome to our exclusive feature on the world of session and ‘show’ playing. Many GT lessons home in on a technique or concept, but here we are looking at the art of putting all the elements together to make a functioning, credible song. The challenge was to record tracks in five different styles in my studio (Apple Tree Studios) in Dorset. I enlisted the help of band mates from the hit musical tour The Bodyguard in which we performed the soundtrack of the hit film starring Whitney Houston. Drummer Alan Dale and bassist Olly Buxton are top professionals and have performed and toured with some of the…

Get known locally Turn up to watch other bands, go to jam nights and open mics, befriend all the local musicians and bands and let them know what you can do – even stand in for a number or two, if you can. These days there are small studios seemingly on every corner. Look them up and pop a resume and CD in, or email them a YouTube link to something you’ve done. Most session careers begin through word of mouth, but if no one knows you you’ll never get started. Learn reading and theory Most professional sessions today (and pretty much all‘show’gigs) require a high level of reading as speed is of the essence and the £££s are ticking away. Good theory is vital. Chord charts too, and the…

 ONTHECD TRACKS37-38 “IT IS WITHIN HIS MUSIC FOR A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM WHERE HE LEFT HIS INDELIBLE PRINT ON POPULAR CULTURE” ABILITY RATING Info Key Various Tempo Various CD TRACKS 37-38 Will improve your… Triplets on repeated notes Double-stops and chords Arpeggios For this month’s classical instalment, it’s my great pleasure to present you with an arrangement of a work by a newcomer to this column: the German composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47), one of the finest exponents of Western Art music. As is typical in the pantheon of great composers, Mendelssohn was a musical prodigy showing great aptitude for piano, organ and compositional technique well before his teens. A lifelong devotee and champion of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, Mendelssohn’s music had a highly-informed, elegant and…

 ONTHECD TRACKS45-48 “USUALLY IN THE STUDIO IT’S THE FIRST TAKE THAT YOU KEEP BECAUSE AFTER THAT YOU JUST START TO REPEAT YOURSELF David Gilmour” ABILITY RATING Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 45-48 Will improve your Melodic phrasing Bending and vibrato Blues-rock phrasing This giant of rock hardly needs introducing. Since replacing Syd Barrett in Pink Floyd in 1968, Gilmour has carved his place in musical history as the self-appointed leader of Floyd who led the band to stadium success with albums including Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were You Here and The Wall. Born in 1946 in Cambridge, by the age of 10 David had discovered his interest in music via Bill Haley and Elvis Presley, both of whom inspired him to borrow a neighbour’s guitar,…

“THE GUITAR HAS BEEN KEY TO SOME OF QUEEN’S FINEST BALLADS THAT HAVE HAD CROWDS SINGING ALONG ACROSS THE GLOBE” ON THE CD TRACK68 ABILITY RATING Info Key: D Tempo: 88 bpm CD: TRACK 68 Will improve your… Use of triads on the fretboard Playing melodies within chords Clarity of picking and fretting Brian May is such an iconic figure in the world of rock that it almost feels like sacrilege to picture him with an acoustic guitar, rather than the famed Red Special blazing through a wall of cranked AC30s. However, while the electric guitar undeniably drove Queen’s biggest hits, the acoustic has been key to some of their finest ballad work that has had crowds singing along in stadiums across the globe. Brian’s most famous acoustic tracks include…

LIVEPIX ON THE CD TRACKS80-83 We couldn’t run this course without tipping our hats to the Godfather of soul, and an artist with more rhythm than any other: James Brown. This tutorial focuses on his hits from the ’60s, such as I Feel Good, I Know You Got Soul and, of course, Sex Machine. Brown had several excellent guitar players through his band including Jimmy Nolan and Alfonso ‘Country’ Kellum. When recording, Brown would build up guitar rhythm parts; these, along with the bass and drums, would fit together into complex and interesting grooves. This formed the basis for the funk, disco and fusion styles that followed through the ’70s and ’80s. Brown’s tracks often stayed on one chord until he cued the band ‘up to the bridge’, so this…

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN Album of the Month HANK MARVIN WITHOUT A WORD DMG TV For many, the first name in electric guitar excellence is Hank Marvin. Pretty much every electric guitarist of note has some of their musical DNA linked to his magical Strat playing. Hank’s had a prosperous solo career based on his trademark ‘clean plus echo’ tone gracing the melodies of famous songs. His new album, Without A Word, is business as usual; 13 songs, from jazz (Duke Ellington’s Don’t Get Around Much Anymore) to TV shows (Ron Grainer’s Doctor Who), pop songs (The Beatles’ Michelle) to shows (Leonard Bernstein’s America). Production is perfect (acoustic guitar work is great) with Hank’s guitar to the fore brandishing a tone that’s clean while sustaining when needed. His arrangement of…

MEDDER “WE HAVE YET TO SEE ANYONE INNOVATE LIKE HENDRIX. HE DID MORE IN FOUR YEARS THAN MOST DO IN A LIFETIME” Ash Wilson GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without? AW: Jim Dunlop Gator Grip 2mm. I’ve always loved heavy picks, as I have more control of dynamics than with the thinner type. I also love the way these sound, I think because having slightly curved edges they sound less harsh striking the string. GT: You have to give up all your pedals but three, what will they be? AW: First of all a tuner! All of my guitars are reissues so I have tuning issues between and occasionally during songs so my best friend is my trusty Korg Pitchblack! I’m a big…

Tap the links Finding your way around the magazine is easy. Tapping the feature titles on the cover or the contents page, takes you straight to the relevant articles. Any web and email links in the text are tappable too! Animated tab & audio All the mag’s main lessons have the audio built in with a moving cursor that shows you exactly where you are in the music. Simply tap the ‘play’ button and you’re off - you can fast-forward or scroll back at will. Play the videos Certain articles have accompanying videos full of useful insight and additional information. Once again, tap the play buttons to enjoy video masterclasses on your iPad (recommended) or smartphone. PLUS! Get a FREE iPad/iPhone sample of GT. For full details and how to…

This month’s lick started as an exercise I used to give pupils who wanted to play Van Halen’s Hot For Teacher intro, but found the stretches too tough. Although it uses the same techniques it stands perfectly well on its own. Which just goes to show how manipulating other people’s ideas can spawn new ones. It’s based on notes from Am Pentatonic with added 2nd/9th: A-C-D-E-G-A-B. Keep it rhythmically and dynamically even, and avoid handling noise by silencing strings you’re not playing with palm muting and fretting-hand damping. When trying ideas of your own, keys that facilitate the use of open strings will be best; so look at keys such as G, Em, D, Bm, A, F#m, E, C#m to begin with.…

➊ Blues Boogie (G) Here’s a fun blues shuffle with a touch of John Lee Hooker about it. Use G Minor Pentatonic (G-B b -C-D-F) for a classic blues vibe. You can also approach the IV chord (C) with C Minor Pentatonic (C-E b -F-G-B b ) and the V chord (D) with D Minor Pentatonic (D-F-G-A-C). Happy jamming! ➋ Rock Ballad (Gm) Here’s a slow rock play-along in G Minor, which lends itself well to focusing on your control of dynamics. Use G Minor Pentatonic (G-B b -C-D-F) and G Minor scale (G-A-B b -C-D-E b -F) as a starting point. You can also use G Dorian mode (G-A-B b -C-D-E-F) for the ‘chorus’ section (B b -C-Gm). ➌ B b Jazz Blues This is a standard jazz-blues progression,…

 ONTHECD TRACKS15-35 “WE WILL SEE HOW USING FINGERPICKING AS A LEAD TECHNIQUE CAN GIVE YOUR SOLOING A WHOLE NEW DYNAMIC DIMENSION AND RANGE” ABILITY RATING Info Key Various Tempo Various CD TRACKS 15-35 Will improve your…  Picking hand technique Muting control Blues vocabulary The following pages are dedicated to exploring the advantages of fingerstyle technique as applied by a selection of the finest electric fingerstyle players, all grounded in blues. We will explore various examples of these players’ personal vocabulary and stylistic approach, in order for you to gain more insight into their worlds and thus hopefully take a load of inspiring ideas, techniques and licks with you on the way. We will see how chord playing can be highly controlled when fingerpicked, how riffs can go from ‘pretty cool’…

 ONTHECD TRACKS49-51 “IF YOU TRIED TO GIVE ROCK AND ROLL ANOTHER NAME, YOU MIGHT CALL IT CHUCK BERRY” John Lennon ABILITY RATING Info Key: E Tempo: 123 bpm CD: TRACKS 49-51 Will improve your… Pentatonic double-stops 12-bar blues phrasing Laid back timing and feel On March 18 2017 we lost one of the most important figures in rock music from the past 100 years. Charles Edward Anderson, ‘Chuck’ Berry, died aged 90, having redefined rhythm and blues to create rock and roll, and in the process informed what would become rock music. Chuck Berry took basic 12-bar rhythm and blues and added guitar solos, crowd-pleasing showmanship and lyrics that identified with the youth of the day. His playing and writing went on to inspire countless rock bands, including AC/DC, Status…

DAVID LYTTELTON “ARPEGGIOS INVOLVE PLAYING INTERVALS OF A MINOR 3RD OR MORE AND PROVIDE AN EAR-CATCHING SENSE OF DIRECTION” ON THE CD TRACKS70-71 ABILITY RATING Info Key: A (A7) Tempo: 120 bpm CD: TRACKS 70-71 Will improve your… Hearing 7th arpeggios in a scale Executing 7th arpeggios Creating arpeggio-based lines In the previous lesson, to provide freshness and variety to our note choices, we looked at some exercises that involved extracting diatonic 7th arpeggios from three-notes-per-string scale patterns. Most self-taught players start off by playing ‘steps’ (intervals of a tone or less) by moving from one scale note up or down to the neighbouring one; whereas arpeggios involve playing ‘leaps’ (intervals of a minor 3rd or greater) and help to provide a strong, ear-catching sense of direction to your lines…

FEATURE #2 TAPPING CHORDS Learn this amazing technique VIDEO! Playing or extending chords with tapping has been used by many great players. We show you how! TRANSCRIPTION MOZART Marriage Of Figaro Bridget tackles one of the legendary operatic pieces from the ultimate classical genius. Get plucking! GT TRIBUTE ALLAN HOLDSWORTH In honour of a guitar genius An in-depth look at this stunning musician, with musical contributions from players including Brett Garsed. TECHNIQUE & THEORY THINGS TO LEARN & PLAY Harp harmonics & slide Play harmonics like the incredible Lenny Breau, and learn bottleneck guitar in standard tuning (part 2). A full exploration into the style of the great... JIMMY PAGE With his myriad playing styles, tones, tunings and innovations, the Led Zeppelin guitarist is one of the most significant…